| Every nation, every Government designs a foreign policy to place itself on the international relations map. Foreign policy represented by embassies and High Commissions creates an identity for any individual nation state in the eyes of other Government. And, through debating and hopefully reconciling those national policies, the world is, we hope, made a better place; tension and conflict between nations is reduced; citizens are protected from oppression by outsiders and – in some instances from their own Government; global threats are combated. And all governments want their countries to be well-regarded around the world; to be seen as a force for good and to enjoy trust and respect from people in other countries. These are the goals of international relations.
But these huge ambitions cannot be achieved by Governments alone, however heartfelt their foreign policies, however expensive their efforts to improve their reputation, however effective international institutions are in achieving consensus and progress. As well as inter-Government action, the experiences and exchanges between citizens of different countries also influence how that country is perceived and the extent to which its international ambitions are achieved. And in our contemporary networked world, where the citizen is a newsmaker as well as a news recipient, the power of traditional means of Government communications – either to other countries or to the citizens of other countries – are always restricted. Nearly every Government has learned that one badly handled demonstration or protest can destroy months of work and millions of dollars of investment in improving your national reputation.
The British Council was created 75 years ago out of a recognition that, in the troubled world of the 1930s something more was needed than traditional approaches to foreign policy. A more open space for cultural, academic, educational and scientific exchanges was needed without a specific message or in pursuit of a particular agenda. That core insight that led to the foundation of the British Council is as true now as it was then, but the methods by which it can be achieved have changed beyond recognition. So let me set out what I think are the main principles for an effective approach to cultural relations as we now call it in 2009.
The first principle is that the activities you promote through cultural relations must benefit the end user. If the only beneficiary is the country, government or organisation promoting the activity it will definitely fail. At the British Council we entirely respect and welcome enlightened self-interest as a motive for participating in our activities – whether it be learning English or participating in an artistic collaboration. From the point of view of the customer or participant a cultural relations activity has to create an opportunity.
The second principle of effective cultural relations is that any activity cannot just create images or encounters. There must be a genuine exchange, which means many encounters and, over time, the building of a relationship. And the best way to build a lasting relationship is through a shared endeavour. Making is a form of thinking and making work together is a way of thinking together. Thinking together on common ground is the way to build trust and reduce tension and conflict. Artistic and scientific collaborations are amongst the most powerful tools available to cultural relations practitioners because something new is created out of the exchange, out of the relationship. And what is created then travels, sometimes all over the world. The production of Black Watch sponsored by the British Council and produced by the National Theatre of Scotland, with its powerful critique of the British pursuit of the Iraq war, travelled to many countries, not least to Washington and to the front page of the New York Times. The world understood that there were many voices, many opinions in Britain about the war in Iraq – and that is a highly significant cultural relations message.
The third principle of effective cultural relations is that there has to be some benefit for the home country. In the British Council’s case, people in the UK have to feel that our activities benefit them, not just people in other countries. Otherwise we have no justification for investment, no licence to operate. The Council’s activities are not wholly selfless. We also want to create a wider, deeper international consciousness amongst British citizens. Through our Connecting Classrooms programme we have set ourselves the target of helping every single school in the UK to have international links. So every schoolchild in the UK should have access to an international experience.
The last principle to highlight is the importance of openness; of listening and sharing, not just transmitting. We believe that without openness there is no mutuality and building trust is impossible. Building trusting relationships across international boundaries is our business. Our passionate purpose is making friends for life. |
